Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for History for Other courses

The Spanish Transition to Democracy

Suarez Franco to Power Until Death

In 1975, Franco was General, and Juan Carlos was crowned King. Seeking to establish a democratic system, the King eventually replaced Arias Navarro. Subsequently, Adolfo Suarez introduced numerous reforms, opening the door to a democratic system. The political reform process involved:

• Adopting a law for political reform.
• Granting amnesty for political prisoners.
• Legalizing political parties.
• Calling for democratic elections.

The process developed amidst significant tension, including a serious economic crisis and terrorist attacks from groups like ETA and the extreme right-wing GRAPO. Furthermore, the legalization of the Communist Party caused increasing anger within the army.

The

Item 9: Franco's Regime Consolidation

On April 1, 1939, Franco issued his final military report, signaling the end of the war but not peace. This initiated a long dictatorship that concluded with Franco's death in 1975. The period from the war's end until the late 1950s was characterized by domestic politics dictated by the regime born from the Civil War, economic autarky, and an economic proposal marked by gaps and the needs of Spanish society. This era also involved isolationism, as Spain submitted to the scheme to appease the victorious powers of World War II.

Political Aspects and Regime Objectives

A basic objective regarding the political aspects was the dismantling of all work accomplished by the Second Republic. In the effort to "regenerate...

The Democratic Republic and the Girondin Convention

The Republic was in the hands of the Girondins, who called for universal male suffrage elections for the new National Convention (the name designating the Assembly). The Convention held a trial against King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, who were charged with treason, convicted, and executed by guillotine. The King's death provoked an alliance of European monarchies, which formed a coalition against revolutionary France. In the spring of 1793, the Republic was in danger: inside the country, counterrevolutionary riots erupted, especially in La Vendée, and royalist plots multiplied. Outside, allied armies invaded France.

The Jacobin Convention

In June 1793, the Jacobins seized power...

Church Property and Secularization

Finally, with the aim of resolving the financial crisis, assets were expropriated: church property was declared national property (disentailment) and sold to individuals. In return, the state ensured the servicing of worship, and the Civil Constitution of the Clergy separated church and state.

Constitutional Monarchy — Policy Options

The reforms of the 1789–1791 period satisfied bourgeois groups (constitutional monarchists), by granting them political and economic freedom. But the new regime had many opponents:

• The nobility, who wanted to regain their privileges;
• The clergy, discontent with the confiscation of church property;
• The monarchy, with factions plotting to overthrow the Assembly.

Popular sectors also...

The Spanish Armada's Attempt on England

The Spanish Armada, which brought Philip II of Spain (1556-1598) to attack England in 1588, was motivated by several factors. Both countries faced conflict due to Sir Francis Drake's pirate raids in the Indies and British aid to the Dutch rebels and Protestants in France.

Organization and Command

In 1587, the military fleet was organized in Lisbon under Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz. However, he died and was succeeded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who lacked the necessary capacity for the command.

The 1588 Campaign

The fleet started in 1588 with approximately 130 ships. Although the British fleet encountered at Portsmouth (England) had fewer ships, the Duke decided to attack. He then decided to...

The End of Autarky and Early Reorientation (1950s)

The decade of the 1950s started to clear the economic strangulation and depletion caused by autarkic policies. This period began to sketch the need for some economic and political reorientation of the regime.

Exhaustion of Autarkic Policies and Social Crisis

The autarkic economic policy impoverished much of the population and increased inequality in income distribution. The reduction of wages, rising prices, and the impossibility of workers making any claims led to very difficult living conditions for many citizens.

Worker and Citizen Mobilizations

The first major worker and citizen mobilizations occurred in 1951, when a major protest movement broke out in Barcelona. Its origin was the rising price...

Benito Pérez Galdós and Romantic Drama

Benito Pérez Galdós renewed romantic drama with works of social criticism, such as Electra, which denounced religious fanaticism and uncompromising attitudes. He adapted novels to the theater, including Zaragoza, Doña Perfecta, and Gerona.

Theater of the Renaissance

Ángel Guimerá used prose to create a natural language based on popular speech. His work Terra Baixa is a rural drama based on emotional conflict that ends tragically.

Modernism and the Generation of '98

This period spans from the late nineteenth century until the 1930s, marked by unsteady political and social changes and the First World War (1914).

Global Context: Early 20th Century

• Great Power Division: The world divided into two blocks: the

Political Developments in Francoist Spain

The Totalitarian Phase (1939-1945)

This period was characterized by an economic slowdown and harsh repression. Spain initially declared neutrality but, following the successes of the Axis powers (Germany and Italy), declared sympathy for them. Franco sent the Blue Division to fight on the Soviet front alongside the Germans. As the Axis began to face difficulties, Spain returned to a policy of neutrality, withdrew the Blue Division, and began to establish contacts with Allied countries. During this stage, the Law of the Cortes was approved.

National Catholicism (1945-1957)

After the defeat of the Axis, the Franco dictatorship was internationally isolated. The Allies considered Spain a fascist redoubt. Consequently,...

Features of World War II

The economic war: Mobilization of young men for the army and the increase in weapons production caused a labor shortage in all participating countries. They resorted to different systems: Germany applied brutal methods, such as the employment of POWs and forced laborers from conquered countries. The Allies resorted mainly to the employment of female labor and youth, and to increasing working hours. The Second World War prompted major technological developments: penicillin; new fibers such as nylon for parachutes; early computers; and nuclear energy. Faster planes, anti‑aircraft missiles and bombs foreshadowed later rocket and space technology, while aircraft carriers expanded naval power.

The Economic War

Mobilization

The Catholic Monarchs and the Dynastic Union

The Catholic Monarchs established a dynastic union, developing a centralized government and an expansionist nature in both interior and exterior politics. They finalized the conquest of Granada in 1492 and supported the project of Christopher Columbus. During the last years of Henry IV, the peninsula was characterized by political instability because of the change of succession to his sister, Isabella (Pact of the Bulls of Guisando, 1468). However, this change was met by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella. Subsequently, Henry named his daughter, Joanna la Beltraneja (considered illegitimate by a large part of the nobility), as heiress after the Capitulation of Cervera. This caused a civil war...